Alabama dropped the ball on this one, literally. ArDarius Stewart fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to an Ole Miss field goal, and Kenyan Drake fumbled another kick return in the second quarter to set up an Ole Miss touchdown. Those two plays decided the game.

Quarterback questions

There were highs and lows for both Alabama quarterbacks, but neither Jake Coker nor Cooper Bateman emerged as “the guy.” Bateman got the start and played well, but was benched after a bad interception. Coker started poorly, picked it up and ended poorly.

Rebels are SEC favorites

The Rebels are for real, and they’re spectacular. Who would’ve thought at the beginning of the year that Ole Miss’ game against LSU on Nov. 21 would decide the SEC West? We’re still a long way away, but it’s looking like the winner of that one is going to Atlanta. The Rebels’ Achilles heel is running the ball, but they’re solid everywhere else.

Mini grades

Rushing offense: C — Derrick Henry got going in the second half, but it’s like the Alabama coaches forgot he was there for two quarters. I get coach Nick Saban want to test his quarterbacks and see who emerges, but this team is built to run the ball. Quarterback Jake Coker had a couple of nice scrambles.

Rushing defense: B — This one’s kind of by default. Ole Miss didn’t get much of a ground game going, but that’s not its game. When the Rebels had to burn some clock, they ran just enough to keep Alabama honest.

Passing offense: C — As is expected when rotating two quarterbacks, the passing game was hit and miss. Cooper Bateman had a solid start, but threw a bad interception and was benched. Coker would throw a perfect strike 15 yards down field, and then he’d try to force it into triple coverage.

Passing defense: C — Alabama’s defense did a great job defending the pass early, but was beat a few times once Chad Kelly got rolling. Kelly threw for 176 yards in the third quarter, most coming on a 66-yard tipped pass touchdown by Quincy Adeboyejo. Then Alabama let up a 73-yard touchdown pass to Cody Core that iced the game.

Special teams: F — Special teams is the reason Alabama lost this game. Two fumbles on kick returns gave Ole Miss prime field position, leading to 10 early points. That changed the way Alabama had to play, and was ultimately the difference on the scoreboard.

Coaching: C — There were no glaring “what are they doing moments,” but there weren’t any “that was a great call” moments either for the Alabama coaches. Starting Bateman was an interesting choice, and it looked really smart until they benched him. The Crimson Tide were inconsistent across the board, and that falls on the guys with headsets.

Overall: C — Sometimes things don’t go your way. Early turnovers changed the pace of the game. A tipped pass for a touchdown stole the momentum. Alabama wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to win if it weren’t for the early fumbles.